This invention is directed to an improved diffuser assembly for use primarily in aerating sewage, but may have application for any aeration process including the aeration of other fluid mediums such as found in the chemical industries.
The diffuser assembly is particularly advantageous in connection with the aeration of sewage in industrial waste plants in which the sewage may contain materials likely to cause porous diffusers to clog too rapidly for satisfactory use. Typically, diffusers of the type used in sewage aeration function as a valve in that gas is admitted into the sewage, while the back pressure of the sewage tends to act against the passage of the gas thereby intermittently closing the valve. In other words, the assembly operates at irregular intervals between the open and closed positions.
Occasionally particles become lodged in the diffuser or erosion occurs therein making it necessary, often frequently, to change the said assembly. The present invention eliminates much of the down time by providing a diffuser which can be easily cleaned or repaired, and returned to the treatment area quickly.